Time to catch up on the latest pop culture news. And, as usual, we start with an obituary – though this one wasn’t a shock at least.
Actor and filmmaker Tom Skerritt has passed aged 93. Skerritt appeared in multiple standout projects during a career that kicked off all the way back in 1962 and was active into the mid 2020s. Some of his notable filmography entries include Top Gun, Alien, A River Runs Through It, M*A*S*H (the film version), Cheers and the Emmy-winning series Picket Fences.
Gaming
You know, it would be nice to have something exciting to share, but most of the time the past few years, whenever gaming makes headlines, it’s for the worst reasons. The all-encompassing greed of Late Stage Capitalism struck again this past week with the news that EA (Electronic Arts) has abruptly killed studio BioWare, the pioneering RPG creators, who gave the world the likes of Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, paving the way for games like The Witcher and Baldur’s Gate III.
On 4 August this year, EA – which also publishes EA Sports FC and other EA Sports titles, Battlefield and The Sims – was officially acquired and taken private by its new owners Public Investment Fund (PIF), a Saudi Arabian group that has an approximate 93% stake in the company, alongside Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners. The cost to take over the publisher was a $55 billion leveraged buyout, saddling PIF and co. with an instant $18 billion in debt. The new EA has said it plans to cut operating costs by $700 million, with “non-priority” games and studios on the chopping block. As many have noted, RPG development is expensive, and the work of BioWare, which includes mature themes and LGBT+ content, likely stood in opposition to the values of the new EA custodians.
In the aftermath of the BioWare closure, an internal trailer for the next in-development Mass Effect game was leaked online. It has since been confirmed to be authentic, highlighting what could have been, but which has now been lost forever.
RIP, BioWare. RIP, video games.
Film
On the trailer front, two previews caught our eye this week. The first is for animated film In Waves, based on the graphic novel by AJ Dungo. French-Belgian animator Phuong Mai Nguyen directs. Looking to be a visually sumptuous and deeply poignant coming-of-age romance, the film brings together reserved high school student and aspiring artist AJ (voiced by Will Sharpe), and energetic surfer Kristen (voiced by Stephanie Hsu) in Southern California. Unlikely soul mates, their connection, and the cruelty of fate, inspires the pair to live life to the fullest.
In Waves comes to select cinemas on 27 November, qualifying it for awards season no doubt, and then Netflix on 11 December.
Cos it’s Halloween week, we have to squeeze in at least horror movie trailer. This one is only in cinemas in January next year, however. With movies like Obsession and Backrooms raking in the cash this year, studios are hungry for breakout horror hits. River debuted to huge success at the Toronto International Film Festival, leading Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster to snatch up the indie slasher from writer-director Joshua Giuliano.
In River, three estranged siblings (Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe, Max Mattern) reunite in their rural hometown to scatter the ashes of their father at his favorite spot on a remote river. But then the trip devolves into a fight for survival as, far away from help, they are hunted relentlessly by a masked figure (Dane DiLiegro).
Series
So we kind of fell off Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power, but the fantasy epic – based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien – is about to drop its third season, comprising eight episodes.
Coming to small screens on 11 November, The Rings of Power S3 is notable primarily for two things: It sees dark lord Sauron transformed into his legendary armoured form as he enslaves his ring-servants, and the season will depict the the the forging of the One Ring, capping Sauron’s quest for ultimate power as he battles the unprecedented unified resistance of Elves, Dwarves, and Men.
For the record, Season 4 is already in development.